Downtown History

Posted on Aug 30, 2015

Old Fort York

The history of Downtown is very much tied to the history of the City of Toronto itself. Downtown is where the City of Toronto began and its history dates back to the early 17th century when the French first established trading posts here to trade with the indigenous people of the area. In 1793, the British took control of this area from the French. They built Fort York here and they renamed the town the ‘Town of York’.

The Town of York grew quickly and in 1834, it became known as the ‘City of Toronto’ in which, the Downtown area was at its core. The Downtown area continued to grow and by the early 1900’s, the Downtown was competing with Montreal’s downtown as Canada’s leading economic and cultural center. After World War II, many immigrants moved to Downtown and it was this boom of immigrants that contributed to the rapid expansion and growth of Downtown throughout the 50’s and 60’s.

Today, Downtown Toronto is Canada’s largest urban centre and it is the financial, commercial and cultural core of Canada. The Downtown is made up of diverse cultures and people and it is these people that have helped to shape this community and turn it into the vibrant place that it is today. The Downtown is a neighbourhood of the City of Toronto that continues to blossom and grow every day.